Bali death toll revised to 183

10.00am

Indonesian authorities today revised downward the official death toll from the bomb blasts in the Kuta district of Bali from 216 to 183. The number includes two Australians who died after being flown out of the country by the Australian air force.

Kuta is a playground for Australians who flock to its beaches for the sun and surf, and they took the brunt of the casualties. A total of 13 Australians were confirmed dead and 225 were unaccounted for.

A large number of Indonesians were among the dead, many of whom have yet to be identified.

Other nationalities among the dead and more than 300 wounded were Singaporeans, Britons, Americans, Swedes, Swiss and Dutch.

At least one New Zealander is believed to have died, although that has yet to be confirmed and no name has been released. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it holds grave fears for two other New Zealanders.

New Zealand Consul to Indonesia Nigel Allardyce said from Bali this morning there were unconfirmed reports people had sighted the bodies of two dead New Zealanders.

"Representatives of the embassy itself have yet to view the bodies of New Zealanders that have died, but at the moment we are working on the basis two people may have died," he told National Radio.

Mr Allardyce said 180 bodies had been found by Indonesian officials, but only a small proportion had been identified.

"Many have been severely burnt beyond recognition and identification will presumably have to be made by forensic means."

More than 1000 New Zealanders were believed to have been in Bali when the bombs went off early Sunday morning (NZT).

The revellers in the Sari nightclub - scene of the car bombing - included rugby teams from around the region competing in an annual 10-a-side tournament.

Three members of the Singapore Cricket Club's rugby team were confirmed dead, of a squad of 17 mostly British expatriates. Five were still missing and four team members were in hospital in Singapore.

Simon Quayle, coach of Kingsley Senior Football Club, an amateur Australian Rules football team from Western Australia state, told reporters: "Realistically we expect most, or at least half, of all the blokes, to be located somewhere in that morgue."

Australia declared a day of mourning for what one politician called the worst loss of Australian life since World War Two.

"What happened at the weekend claimed our own in great numbers, and on our own doorstep, and touched us in a way that we wouldn't have thought possible a week ago, or even three days ago," Prime Minister John Howard told parliament.

Australian C-130 Hercules airforce planes flew through the night to evacuate injured Australians, many of them burned and maimed. Some 200 were airlifted to the northern city of Darwin.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was on a visit to meet officials, offer condolences to bereaved Australians and visit the site of the attacks and hospital where victims were being treated.

Downer said "we look forward to talking to the Indonesians at greater length about this question of who is responsible. We want the Indonesians to bring to justice the people who are responsible for this outrage."

"We have very great concerns about organisations like Jemaah Islamiah and their activities in Southeast Asia, not just by the way in Indonesia," he said.

"Whether Jemaah Islamiah had any involvement in it, what links there are to al Qaeda, these are all issues which are being given very serious consideration, but there is no conclusion."

Several countries' intelligence agencies tie Jemaah Islamiah to regional terrorism and link it to al Qaeda.

Bali messages

New Zealand travellers in Bali, and their families in New Zealand, can post messages on our Bali Messages page.

Foreign Affairs advice to New Zealanders

* Travellers should defer travel to Bali

* NZers in Bali should keep a low profile and remain calm

* Foreign Affairs Hotline: 0800 432 111

Feature: Bali bomb blast

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